Oh girl….Can you ever leave good enough Banana Bread alone?

June 27, 2011

I’m sure I can’t be alone in this habit of mine. I see a recipe that sparks my imagination… I am served an entrée at a restaurant that gets my creative juicing going… someone tells me about a fabulous dish they ate that triggers a new idea….and I’m headed straight to the kitchen! I can never tell when something is going to grab my attention. Like just last week, Chef Mom wrote about her amazing Banana Bread recipe from her friend Doree.

Okay, banana bread. I would have read that post on any other day and thought it sounded good, I’ll try it someday. However, on that particular day, it triggered a reaction. What I loved about the recipe was its very basic, simple ingredients. I like having recipes with a good foundation that I can seasonally add in ingredients or make adjustments like swapping out sugar for agave. Chef Mom had rave reviews on this bread so that helped too.

The versatility of this bread is awesome from beginning to end. I could serve this banana bread warm from the oven or top a toasted slice with whipped cream cheese and fresh mango for a special breakfast treat and later that evening, serve a grilled slice with rum sautéed pineapple, a scoop of coconut gelato and a sprinkling of nuts. A drizzle of chocolate was later added to this outrageous dessert treat!

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Combine the dry ingredients; flour, raw sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in a medium bowl and set aside. Using a large mixing bowl, combine the wet ingredients; eggs, Agave, bananas, applesauce, yogurt and vanilla extract beating until smooth. Add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Pour into a greased loaf pan and bake for 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Allow to cool on rack.

For the variations above:

Breakfast Treat: Toast a slice of banana bread under the broiler, flipping once for both sides. Smear on whipped cream cheese and top with fresh fruit.

Dessert Idea: In a skillet, sauté pineapple with maple syrup or honey and a splash of rum until warm and slightly carmelized. Lightly toast or grill a slice of banana bread. Top the bread with the warmed rum-sauce pineapple, add a scoop of gelato and a sprinkling of toasted nuts. A drizzle of chocolate as I later did sends it over the top!

Share this:

I love being in the kitchen. Early mornings, soft music, a hot espresso. Easing into the preparation of delicious meals. Glancing through cookbooks, gathering inspiration and planning my day. I look forward to the cycles of the seasons, the pleasures of tasting and savoring and sharing this with those dear to me. Weekends are special to me as my week days are often rushed, but still I create the ambiance, light the candles, set the table and uncork the wine.

Pineapple with maple syrup and rum sounds amazing. Those mangoes look great too. I love how you took something that’s already wonderful and improved upon it. Uh oh, no offense intended ChefMom, I swear.

oh I would take that mango topped one for breakfast every day and I will never get bored..you did an awsome job and I totally understand what you are talking about..somedays you taste something or someone mentions it and you MUST try recreating it

I love when bloggers use/adapt fellow bloggers’ recipes. This was a great choice, as I was drooling over Kristy’s recipe. Love the addition of pineapple and mango to the bread. Looks like this was well worth recreating!!

I could add mango to just about anything. Great dessert suggestion with the the maple and rum syrup and topping it off with some gelato! I’m actually making my first batch of gelato while I’m waiting for it to freeze!

I think you’ve given me another banana bread to add to our quest. This looks outstanding – and is a healthier option with the applesauce and yogurt. 🙂 I’m glad you were inspired by Doree’s recipe. I never thought to serve it with fruit over the top…yum! Beautifully done! I knew you would do something fantastic with this!